The countdown to Halloween can begin as early as today. Okay you might be able to wait a week or two, but this spooky holiday is right around the corner. Fall officially begins next week. Crazy, right? Either way, if you’re planning on hosting a Halloween party bash this year, I suggest you start budgeting and compiling a list now. It’ll make you life SO much easier and you’ll have time to find the things you need at reasonable prices.A few tips and party ideas that are sure to get those creative juices flowin’:
- Chocolate Covered Apples - I prefer serving semi-healthy snacks that only take a few minutes to put together. Isn’t that the best? Minimal effort for maximum results! Grab a few apples of your choice (I love Granny Smith apples), some skewers and hit up the cooking section at the craft store for Wilton’s chocolate candy melts in natural chocolate and any colorful Halloween colors of your choice. Melt the chocolate and dip the apples. Allow them to cool. While the chocolate hardens, melt the colorful chocolate and drizzle or decorate the apples to your liking. Set them out on a platter or reusable tray for your guests to enjoy!
A Granny Smith apple (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
- Painting Pumpkins - Carving pumpkins during the Fall season is one of the most popular traditions and I don’t, by any means, intend to dissuade you from participating in it. For the purposes of a party or a children’s arts and crafts day though, it might be fun to switch to painting pumpkins with acrylic paint. You can paint a few large ones with stylish stripes or polka dots and set them out as centerpieces at your themed soiree. Or, keep the kids entertained and have them paint out their spookiest jack-o-lantern designs!
Jack-o-lantern (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
- Candy Garlands - Every trick-or-treaters dream has got to be Halloween party decor made from real pieces of candy. You can string together any sort of candy really. If it’s larger pieces, you may want to consider using cellophane wrap around the string and yard or gift ribbon in between each piece of candy. I saw gum balls strung together the other day and the idea was precious! It really ties the Halloween theme together!
- DIY Chocolate Wrappers - Design your own candy bar wrappers or download templates from the web. Print with a special message thanking your guests for taking the time to stop by your party!
- Paper Flag Banner Costume Display - Rent or borrow a polaroid camera and take pictures of your guests in their awesome costumes as they arrive. Attach them to paper flag banners and have everyone vote for their top 3 favorite costumes at the end of the night. Have small prizes ready and the bonus here is that you’ll get to keep the pictures for your memory book. Hooray!
